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  'Weedman' Seeks Relief from Higher Court
Posted by CN Staff on September 19, 2002 at 14:12:41 PT
By Jeff Edelstein, Staff Writer 
Source: Trentonian 

cannabis Believing that he is being held in jail unconstitutionally, Forchion petitioned the federal district court in Camden for a "writ of habeas corpus" -- lawyer-speak for a federal judge to determine whether an inmate is being imprisoned lawfully.

Judge Joseph Irenas accepted Forchion's petition, and now the state has until Oct. 28 to explain to the judge why Forchion is sitting in the clink.

"The judge clearly saw something legitimate," said John Furlong, a local lawyer and expert in these matters. "He [Forchion] made it through the door, which puts him head and shoulders above everyone else."

Furlong explained that the federal courts are deluged with writs of habeas corpus, and very few get accepted.

"He's moving in the right direction," Furlong said. "He's got a leg up."

Forchion has been stewing the Burlington County Jail for a month.

He was arrested Aug. 18 after filming three commercials that the state claims advocated the use of marijuana.

The commercials, as seen by The Trentonian, dealt with First Amendment issues and the war on drugs, and did not explicitly advocate the use of marijuana.

But that's what members of the Intensive Supervisory Program said he did.

ISP is a heightened state of parole Forchion was put into it after 17 months in prison for transporting 25 pounds of pot into the state.

As part of Forchion's deal, ISP allegedly forbade him from advocating the use of marijuana, though Forchion claims no paperwork on such a restriction exists.

Tom Bartlett, the South Jersey head of the ISP, said it would be "inappropriate" to discuss any matter regarding Forchion when asked the details of Forchion's ISP deal.

On Tuesday, Forchion was supposed to appear before a three-judge panel in Hunterdon County Court.

The hearing was meant to determine if Forchion did in fact break the terms of the ISP deal.

Witnesses were in court, Forchion's lawyer was ready to go, and the judges said they would hold the hearing for last, supposedly so they could get a firmer handle on the case.

The only problem with the hearing was that it never took place -- the state failed to arrange transportation for Forchion from Burlington to Flemington.

"It was an honest mix-up," Bartlett told the judges. "The writ was never sent to the Burlington County Jail. We tried to make arrangements to get him here, but it's physically impossible."

No new date for the ISP hearing was announced.

Note: The case of Ed "NJWeedman" Forchion is headed to federal court.

Source: Trentonian, The (NJ)
Author: Jeff Edelstein, Staff Writer
Published: September 19, 2002
Copyright: 2002 The Trentonian
Contact: pmickle@trentonian.com
Website: http://www.trentonian.com

Related Articles & Web Sites:

NJWeedman.com
http://www.njweedman.com

CRRH Video's - Weedman Takes Cause To TV
http://www.crrh.org/hemptv/misc_weedman.html

Marijuana Activist Fights New Jail Time
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14142.shtml

Day 5 of Weedman Hunger Strike
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13937.shtml

No Freedom of Speech for NJWeedman
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13815.shtml


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Comment #5 posted by FoM on December 05, 2002 at 10:45:29 PT
Article from Snipped Source
'Weedman' Fails in Effort To Get Out of Jail

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-2/103907252774520.xml

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #4 posted by Nuevo Mexican on September 20, 2002 at 00:13:52 PT
Thanks GCW, here's more...
Notice threatened massacres are supported by U.S. dollars, some $40 million on Sept 9th! Think of this as what we have in store for Americans, if this is what we condone in other countries, who are only doing our bidding! On a higher note: CannabisNews is the best bud in the bag!

Peace! NM

Colombia’s President Uribe intensifies repression http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/sep2002/colo-s19.shtml

Armed with only his computer, one student posts on the Internet a petition against invading Iraq and is inundated with over 200,000 signers. By Rick Friedman http://www.interventionmag.com/cms/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=181

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #3 posted by The GCW on September 19, 2002 at 17:47:12 PT
Forchion part of the trickle down effect...
The system is corrupt, ill, sick, and hatefull toward citizens. It is the political leaders who have done this evil. It is then induced on down the ladder, Forchion being discounted to that of insignificance, for the filthy to reap a cookie. Disregard of the most evil.

NOW, this problem of Bush knowing about 911, is not going away. It is being exposed. He must want to so badly be at the top of the ladder.

War Fever in Washington, DC

by Pete Brady (19 Sept, 2002) 9-11 questions increase as sabers rattle

http://www.hempbc.com/articles/2621.html

(BITS)

But maybe McKinney will have the last laugh.

Since March, McKinney's worst suspicions have been confirmed.

"It's almost like they wanted it to happen," one relative said bitterly. ...

...Graham and Shelby are to be commended for their courage. The Justice Department and FBI has gone on a witch hunt against journalists and senators who allegedly leaked "secret information" that revealed embarrassing details of the administration's intelligence failures prior to 9-11.

Subpoenas, lie detector tests, and interrogations have been used to try to find those who leaked the information.

Such tactics are intimidating, but not as harsh as those used on protesters who have attempted to demonstrate against Bush and his executives in the last four months.

...perhaps trigger a world war.

Bush was rebuked by the International Atomic Energy Commission for wildly distorting the Commission's views on whether Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had atomic weapons of mass destruction. Nelson Mandela said that Bush was a threat to world peace. A Russian official described Bush as...

..."a new Hitler."

Among the few members of the US Congress to openly oppose Bush and the war are Representatives Barbara Lee and Maxine Waters. These women also are among the few Congresspersons to openly oppose the war on drugs.



[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #2 posted by DdC on September 19, 2002 at 16:16:20 PT
Repent You WoD Junkies! Free the Weedman!!!
"Verily I say unto you, in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethern, ye have done it unto me." (Matt. 25:40)

MAKING THE WALLS TRANSPARENT
http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/starke

I lost my freedom and can't find it anywhere! Linx
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Free the Prisoners of WoD
http://boards.marihemp.com/boards/politics/media/37/37460.gif

James Geddes-47
90 YEARS-5 PLANTS!

Age 47, serving 90 years charged with cultivation and possession of five marijuana plants

In 1992, James Geddes was walking along a street with a friend when he got arrested. The police got a search warrant and went to the home rented by his friend. They found a small amount of marijuana, paraphernalia for smoking marijuana, and five plants growing in their vegetable garden.
Release Petition
http://hr95.org/geddes.petition.htm
Free James Geddes
http://hr95.org/Geddes,J.html

November Coalition
http://www.november.org
Human Rights and the WoD
http://www.hr95.org
M.A.M.A.
http://www.mamas.org
Change the Climate
http://www.changetheclimate.org
Families Against Mandatory Minimums Foundation
(FAMM Foundation)
http://www.famm.org
F.E.A.R.
http://www.fear.org
N.O.R.M.L.
http://norml.org
Drug Sense
http://www.drugsense.org
MAP Inc.Org.
http://www.mapinc.org

USAl Qaeda
http://www.cannabinoid.com/boards/politics/media/39/39670.gif


[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #1 posted by VitaminT on September 19, 2002 at 15:14:09 PT
Go get 'em ED!
I'm rooting for you! Your TV Commercials are great and you tell it exactly as it is!

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